Hedwig blinked, sharing a look with Nagini. "Then tell me, Draco. Why is it that you kissed Harry after the party…then wiped his memory clean?"
A/N: This chapter should go better than the last one after it revealed who Phoenix really was! Now, in this chapter we have Dumbledore fucking things up as always, Bellatrix being her hyperactive crazy self, and there's a lot of Snarry.
Extra: This is normal speech/talk/text/writing. This is parseltongue. This is emphases on a word. this is cat-speak.
Everyone froze. Draco did what? Their expressions darkened, Severus looking ready to murderer the poor blonde.
"You did what?" He snapped, grabbing his wand quicker than anyone can move and tossing a spell at both Draco and Dumbledore. They both flew back away from Harry as Lily ran over to her son.
"Oh Harry, my baby, I'm so sorry." She went on and on as she moved the leopard's large head onto her lap, petting the soft fur.
"If you DARE come near him again…I will kill you." The threat hung low in the air as Dumbledore pointed his wand at Severus. Chaos erupted as the first spell came. The two wizards he brought with himself and Draco started tossing curses everywhere, Bellatrix, and Remus joining in against them. Fenrir fired a quick spell at Draco, grabbing the stunned boy before anyone could notice. Sirius ran over to Lily and Harry, setting up a shielding spell quickly.
"We'll talk later." He said to his best friend's wife before firing a spell at the wizard who tried to come closer. He recognized them to be one of the order, a snarl left his lips as he noticed them. "This is just great, they're using spells I don't even know!"
No one noticed when one of the newest spells were fired either, hitting Severus in his side and knocking the potion's master over. "SEV!" Lily called when she saw her friend fall. Hermione was quick to reach him, for once thankful that her smaller size as an otter allowed her to dodge curses quickly. She transformed back to her human self, tossing a curse at Dumbledore.
"Fall back!" the old wizard called, apparating away. Hermione threw one last curse at him, sighing when it didn't reach it's target in time.
"Just great…" She grumbled before looking to the others. Remus had a deep gash on his arm from a cutting curse, while Bella was still throwing curses to the open air. Lily and Sirius were trying to get Harry to wake up. The others were still a bit dazed from the attack and revealing. Hermione was shocked too. Draco obliviated Harry? She shook her head. "Is everyone ok?"
"I'm fine." Remus said, looking over to Bellatrix. "…She's good."
"We're ok over here!" Luna's small tabby head popped out of a thorn bush, the three snakes- one being Tom- followed her out of it. "Managed to corner one of the order who thought it would be a good idea to come in here as an animagus." She said. Vipera flicked her tail in distaste, looking at the thorn caught there.
Neville looked around to the ones who managed to stay together. "Only scratches!" He said. "Narcissa was hit with a stinging hex though, and Fred and George were hit with a cutting curse." He nodded to the woman, Lucius was already fixing the hex though. The two lions were muttering about being hit.
"Harry, wake up darling. Everything's ok." Lily whispered to her son. Harry shut his eyes tightly before blinking them open, gazing up at the redhead.
"Mom?" He asked, his voice hoarse. "I must be dead…or dreaming…"
"It's no dream pup." Sirius said, wrapping one arm around Lily's shoulders. "You're alive, awake, and so is Lils."
"It is you then…" Harry said tiredly, his eyes falling shut again. Lily smiled sadly, petting the cat again.
"Hey Lily, we need some help over here!" Remus looked back to her. She looked at him confusedly before getting up, setting Harry's head down slowly before walking over, stopping when she saw what Remus was worrying over. There was another animal lying at his side, an even larger leopard, with fur blacker than Harry's. "It's Severus."
"How did this happen? His animagus form is a raven!"
Lily sighed, glaring at Sirius. "If you shut up, I might be able to explain!" She snapped. Sirius backed away, sitting in the chair next to Harry's bed. They were able to move everyone who was hurt inside, Harry and Severus being the worst. Everyone else was ok with just Luna and Hermione healing them, the two leopards needing more help. "I don't understand it fully, but something tells me it was that spell." She said.
"The spell caused this?" Blaise asked. He was sitting at the other bed in the room that was holding the young Malfoy. They were thankful that Fenrir was able to grab him. Tom ran a few tests on him, revealing the imperious curse on him.
"Yes. It was new and I didn't hear anything said for it. We'll have to be careful, who knows what else it could have done." Lily warned. She petted her friend's shoulder lightly, jumping slightly as a deep rumbling noise came from the larger cat.
Sirius stared in wonder. "Is…is Snivellus….purring?" He asked as he held back his laughter. He yelped in pain as a tail whacked him in his back, Harry glaring at him from one opened eye, the other eye having a deep scratch over it.
"Will you shut it so I can sleep?" He grumbled, placing one paw over his muzzle and snuggling back into the blanket over himself.
"You know Harry, you could always transform back and walk to your room." Hermione said from across the room where she was trying, keyword trying, to get Bellatrix to sit still long enough to get the woman's arm fixed of the gashes on it. "Sit still!"
"Don't wanna." Harry said. Lilly smiled, scratching behind his ears and getting a loud purr in return.
"Go to sleep sweety. I'll make sure they don't bother you." She said gently, sending a light glare over to Sirius. "If you are not seriously hurt, get out. These two need to rest!" She snapped at the rest of them. Everyone but Tom, Hermione, Bellatrix, and Lily left.
"There should be a way to change him back…" Tom started.
"It'll have to wait. I don't want to risk anything, with either of them." Lilly said. She noticed how close her friend and her son were. She didn't want to risk anything with them. "I say just let them be for now, Harry's animagus form is a leopard, he can help Sev." She stood up, walking out of the room with Tom.
"…You'd think that after 17 years, he would've noticed that you weren't dead and were actually a death eater…"
"Yes, well neither my son or best friend have been known for their observation skills now have they?"
The first thing the potion's master noticed when he woke up wasn't the fur or the paws or tail, it wasn't even the room. It was the leopard curled up next to him. The leopard he was curled up around. Severus knew immediately it was Harry, what shocked him was how content the boy seemed. Their tails twined together, one of Severus' paws wrapped around Harry's stomach, and Harry purring.
'What was that spell anyway…' Was the next thought he had. 'It's nothing I've seen…and it can't be an animagus form one, mine's a raven, not a leopard!'
"mmm…Sev?" Severus looked down at Harry, onyx eyes meeting emerald. " it wasn't a dream….you're a 'eopard…" His voice was slurred with sleep.
"Yes pet. I'm a leopard. For Merlin knows how long. Dumbledore's fault too." He murmured, resting his head next to Harry's and noticing the long scar that now rested over his eye, too close to the all familiar lightning bolt that was now a patch of white fur. "It's his fault for that too…"
"It's just a battle scar….n'thing to worry about." Harry said, nuzzling the larger cat. His wings rested comfortably over them, acting as a blanket. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine Harry. You on the other hand, sound half asleep still." The potion's master said amusedly. "What do you remember from the fight?"
"I remember Dumbledore being there with Draco….he had Moody with him didn't he?" Severus nodded. "And….Mom!" Harry jolted into a sitting position. "I saw mom! Where is she?" He looked around frantically, trying to find her.
"Harry, Harry calm down!" Severus sat up as well, placing one paw over Harry's. "She's around here somewhere, for now you need to rest. She'll come back and check on you, I know it."
"Sev, what else happened after I passed out? Was mom hurt? Was anyone one else hurt?" Harry demanding, turning to the other.
"No Harry, no one was hurt, but…we did find out what happened about your memories. The one's you are still missing anyway."
"What happened?"
Severus sighed. Was it really the right thing to do? To tell him? "After the ball, when you turned 17, You were dancing with Draco. He was the one dancing with you when midnight struck, when Dumbledore attacked. He kissed you. That's when he was put under the imperious curse. He wiped most of your memory, but it wasn't that effective, as you've seen."
Harry paused for a moment, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Draco did it…He's the one who attacked me too, wasn't he?" Severus nodded. "He kissed me…obliviated me….and attacked me…Why? Doesn't the kiss mean he liked me?"
The larger leopard tensed at those words. "…I don't know Harry…" Harry blinked and looked at Severus, noticing the slight defeated look to him and the tenseness. His tail flicked as a purr escaped him. "Harry?"
"Sev." he purred, resting his head under the older's. "Even if he did like me…he's too late to have me. Even if it was just a joke to pull on Sirius, you are my mate. I don't want anyone else." He whispered, twining his tail around the older's. Severus looked at him in shock before relaxing, resting his head on Harry's and allowing a soft purr to come.
"Aww, isn't that sweet? Baby Harry found his mate with Snapey." Severus glared at Bellatrix as she opened the door to the room. He kept the glare as others walked in, only softening it a bit as Lily followed them.
"Someone's protective-"
"-Of our brother." Fred and George joked. Harry ignored them, still purring in contentment.
"Severus there's no need for that glare." Lily scolded playfully. "I'm in full right to see my son." Harry looked up at the mention of himself.
"I thought we were here to check how they were healing and I walk in on them cuddling…it's too cute." Tom grumbled as he walked into the room. Lily laughed and hugged Harry.
"Yes, well my baby kit knows how to get who he wants. And I approve, so does Remus. Siri on the other hand…" Lily trailed off as the group snickered.
"He's furious." Neville said.
"The Nargles can't calm him down either." Luna spoke with her dreamy voice. "He's wishing to kill you Severus."
"Just another name on that list, wait he's always been on that list." Harry purred in amusement at his mate's rambling, jumping off the bed- Severus almost whined in protest at that- and walking over to Lily.
"I think I'll keep to this form to keep Sev from going insane." Harry explained. Lily smiled and nodded, hugging the boy. "But you, have a ton of explaining to do."
"I know Harry, and I will explain. After that night, I thought Tom had killed us both. I knew he had killed James, but it seems I was only stunned."
"You can thank me later." Nagini hissed, her tail wrapping calmly around Tom's neck. Her head rested on his shoulder.
"Nagini saw…something then. It drove her to take most of the curse, it hit us both, but she was already a horcrux, she wasn't harmed because the curse hit both of us. She got the killing blunt of the curse, I was stunned by it. I woke up after he hit you with the curse."
"I was furious with him, as the curse rebounded I saw my chance and sent a spell of my own at him. It reacted…differently though with the killing curse. It saved you though. I somehow was able to see what he knew about the prophecy, what Dumbledore wanted him to know."
"What he wanted him to know?" Harry asked. "I know it's a fake but-"
"But nothing, it's a fake and nothing more. There was a different prophecy, meant for you and him, but nothing like that." Lily stated. "I found out from Lucius that the true prophecy wasn't told by Trelawney, but by Luna's mother."
"My mom?" Luna squeaked.
"Yes. It was similar to the one told by Trelawney, but far different. The one with the power to match the dark lord approaches, born on the seventh moon of the year, the last winged one will appear, and bring the world once more into darkness. The dark lord shall mark him as his equal, and both will rule the world by blood." There were only a few looks of understanding in the group, others, were completely lost.
"What in Merlin's name was that?" Neville blurted out. "It sounded like meowing!"
"It was." Harry and Severus answered at the same time. "Cat language, it hasn't been heard like that in ages, not since the last winged cats."
"Yes, Luna's mother wasn't one, but there was a winged cat somewhere close in their family tree." Lily explained. "I was close friends with her, and usually only feline animagi could understand it."
"Amazing…" Remus murmured.
"Anyway, after I woke up fully, I found Harry gone, and heard that Sirius was in Azkaban. So, I went in search of the only person who could help me."
"Bellatrix." Half of the room answered the unasked question of who.
"Correct. I found her before she did that to your parents Neville. She explained what had happened to me. And that's when my search truly began. Anyway, enough about that, there's someone we need to deal with."
"Draco?" Harry asked immediately.
"Yes. It's confirmed that he was under the imperious." Tom said passively. He didn't really care for this conversation, not when there was revenge to be planned. He would never admit it, but Harry had grown on him, and Severus was one of his more trusted followers. No one got away with attacking them. "He's currently resting in one of the bedrooms."
"hmm…He wouldn't have known what he was doing then, so I see no point in punishing him." Harry decided. "It's not his fault Dumblewhore," Some people snickered, "was able to put him under the spell. Even I have trouble shaking it off."
"Good choice Harry." Lily smiled, petting the leopard again. Harry purred. "I guess we'll leave you two alone now…but you still better be as innocent as the day you were born when I come back." She added with a slight glare to Severus. "Great Fira this is so awkward…"
"Fira?" Severus asked.
"First winged cat, guardian of the cat animagi." Lily said. "Now you two need to rest!" The mother scolded, shooing her son back onto the bed before leaving, taking the younger of the group with her. Bellatrix followed soon after, still cackling about the joke on Dumbledore's name. Tom sighed.
"How'd I get stuck with the crazy ones?" He muttered to himself, leaving with Lucius following.
Harry smiled, snuggling closer to the potion's master as said leopard's tail wrapped protectively around him. "Sev…are you ok? I mean, that was a nasty hex from what I heard…"
The hours pass silently by as Harry and Severus stay curled up on the bed in the empty room. The only noise coming from Harry's soft purring. Both content to stay silent and just enjoy each other's company.
"Harry?"
"Yes Sev?"
"Merry Christmas."